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Tweet, trill and warble: music that mentions, mimics or samples birdsong

April 5, 2018 Peter Kimpton
The nightingale. A star singer of the bird world.

The nightingale. A star singer of the bird world.

Spring has finally sprung, and to celebrate, let’s look at, from science to poetry, how the most natural and winged songwriters have inspired humans to make reference to their work in their own through music or lyrics

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In blues, classical, country, dance, electronica, folk, hip hop, indie, metal, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, punk, reggae, rock Tags Songs, birds, birdsong, Percy Shelley, Maya Angelou, Kurt Cobain, Nick Drake, Catullus, ornithology, Tom Waits, James Brown, Kate Bush, Pink Floyd, nightingale, Japan, David Rothenburg, Laurie Anderson, Jarvis Cocker, Beth Orton, Jean Vaillant, Beethoven, Delius, Vivaldi, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Camille Saint-Saëns, George Friederic Handel, Haydn, Rachmaninov, Peter Warlock, Dvorak, Mussorgsky, Oliver Messiaen, Jonathan Harvey, Einojuhani Rautavaara, Prince, Hatebeak, John Clare, poetry
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Playlists: songs about waking up

April 4, 2018 Peter Kimpton
Wake up ... with Sudan Archives

Wake up ... with Sudan Archives

Dawn in India to Donovan, Bacharach-David to The Beatles, this week's wonderful selections by guest playlister ParaMhor from last week's nominations will have you feeling wide awake and refreshed

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In blues, colours, country, dance, electronica, folk, hip hop, indie, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, reggae, rock, soul Tags Songs, playlists, waking, Sri Venkateswara Suprabhatam, Donovan, Aretha Franklin, Chuck Jackson, Clara Smith, The Beatles, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Nick Cave, Wham!, George Michael, Burt Bacharach, Hal David, Elastica, Sudan Archives, Havana Casino Orchestra, Gorky's Zygotic Mynci, Pulp, Cookies, Glass Sun, Eskimo Joe, REM, Love, Life 'n' Soul, Elmore James, Emily Smith, Josh Ritter, Dusty Springfield, Tom Springfield, Betty Lavette, Marvin Gaye, Talking Heads, Radiohead, ParaMhor, MS Subbulakshmi
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Morning glory? Songs about waking up

March 29, 2018 Peter Kimpton
Don't be alarmed. Something to whet the whistle, darling?

Don't be alarmed. Something to whet the whistle, darling?

From gloom to horny joy, scary or strange surprises to dire straits, this week let's explore all the lyrical and musical sides of regain consciousness in song, with some stimuli here from other forms – film and books

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In blues, comedy, classical, country, dance, electronica, folk, hip hop, indie, metal, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks Tags Songs, playlists, conciousnessness, sleep, waking, dreams, Paul Valéry, Franz Kafka, Benjamin Franklin, Frank Sinatra, cats, dogs, spring, Paul McCartney, David Bowie, Rod Temperton, Heatwave, Michael Jackson, Prince, drugs, hibernation, sex, advertising, Oliver Sacks, medicine, science, science fiction, Danny Boyle, 28 Days Later, Washington Irving, Rip Van Winkle, Laurence Manning, Planet of the Apes, Futurama, Woody Allen, Sleeper, Alien, film, Dolly Parton, Nile Rodgers, Ray Bradbury, Robert Frost, Maya Angelou
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Playlists: songs about anonymity

March 28, 2018 Peter Kimpton
That's not us.

That's not us.

Who are you? Who are they? Hackers to the hidden, secret societies to strangers in crowds, masked meetings to sexual liaisons, this week's playlists are superbly assembled by a famous but Anonymous figure

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In soul, ska, rock, reggae, punk, postpunk, pop, playlists, music, indie, hip hop, dance, country, electronica, folk, blues Tags Songs, playlists, Anonymous, anonymity, Tom Petty, Bob Seger, The Cramps, David McWilliams, Suzanne Vega, The Cravats, Courtney Barnett, Traffic, The Who, Soft Cell, Kate Bush, Poison Girls, Alicia Keys, Andrés Calamaro, Elvis Costello, The Taxpayers, Sigrid, Buffy Sainte-Marie, UB40, Belle & Sebastian, Carly Simon, Gene Vincent, Van Morrison, The Chordettes, The Ramones, The Upsetters
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Diary of a nobody? Songs about anonymity

March 22, 2018 Peter Kimpton
A scene from anonymous hacker thriller series Mr Robot, starring Rami Malek as the complex central figure

A scene from anonymous hacker thriller series Mr Robot, starring Rami Malek as the complex central figure

Whether feeling like a nobody, or actually being anonymous, from hackers to the lonely and helpless, from fame to unknown heroism, let's explore this contradictory feeling as expressed in lyrics, from spotlight to the shadows

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In blues, country, dance, classical, electronica, folk, hip hop, indie, metal, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, punk, reggae, rock, songs, soul, soundtracks Tags Songs, playlists, anonymity, women's rights, Virginia Wolf, Bjorn Ulvaus, Abba, Lenny Bruce, George Eliot, Prince, Stephen King, Richard Bachman, George Grosssmith, Chaka Khan, Carly Simon, Bessie Smith, Janis Joplin, Dory Previn, Madonna, Cyndi Lauper, Sam Shepard, Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro, Benjamin Clementine, NHS, Robert Louis Stevenson, Coen Brothers, Billy Bob Thornton, Mia Farrow, Catherine Deneuve, Jeff Daniels, Joe Klein, journalism, The Bible, National Security Agency, Prism, surveillance, spying, Chelsea Manning, WikiLeaks, Mikko Hyppönen, Anonymous, hacking, LulzSec, AntiSec, Bitcoin, Jeff Berwick, Cambridge Analytica, Donald Trump, Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, Mr. Robot, Sam Esmail, Rami Malek
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Playlists: songs featuring the harmonica

March 21, 2018 Peter Kimpton
Toots Thielemans

Toots Thielemans

Take a deep breath – you are about to experience a selection of sublime and moving music from film soundtracks, blues and soul greats. Guest playlist writer magicman blows two beautiful lists from last week's nominations

Read more
In blues, classical, country, folk, indie, music, playlists, pop, rock, songs, soul Tags Songs, playlists, harmonica, film soundtrack, Sergio Leone, Ennio Morricone, Franco de Gemini, Charlie McCoy, Little Walter, Chess Records, Paul Butterfield, Stevie Wonder, Burt Bacharach, Sonny Boy Williamson, Sony Boy Williamson II, Brownie McGhee, James Cotton, J. Geils Band, Magic Dick, Larry Adler, Vaughan Williams, Big Walter Horton, John Mayall, Toots Thielemans, Quincy Jones, magicman, The Rolling Stones, Doctor Ross, Herbie Hancock, Blues Traveler, Ry Cooder, Sonny Terry, Sly & The Family Stone, Charlie Musselwhite, Dr Feelgood, Nico Wayne Toussaint, Sonny Boy Williamson II, Chris Wilson, Canned Heat, The Beatles, Muddy Waters
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Every breath you take: songs featuring the harmonica

March 15, 2018 Peter Kimpton
The sublime Stevie Wonder

The sublime Stevie Wonder

It plays out like the voice, beautifully expresses emotion, can wail like a train and is popular across blues, rock, pop, jazz, classical and other genres. This week it's time to inhale deeply and get harmonious with the harmonica

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In blues, classical, country, folk, hip hop, indie, music, playlists, pop, punk, reggae, rock, soul, soundtracks Tags songs, Music, harmonica, Stevie Wonder, Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney, The Beatles, George Harrison, John Lennon, Toots Thielemans, Abraham Lincoln, Steven Wright, Charlie Musselwhite, Larry Adler, James Cotton, Little Walter, Big Mama Thornton, Captain Beefheart, Sonny Williamson, Donovan, Beck, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Jesse Fuller, Kim Kwang Suk, Rory Macleod, Ian Gillan, David Bowie, Mick Jagger, Alanis Morissette, Robert Plant, Led Zeppelin, Bobbejaan Schoepen, Johnny Cash, Roger Daltrey, The Who, The Rolling Stones, Sheryl Crow, Van Morrison, Sonny Terry, John Barry, film soundtrack
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Playlists: songs influenced by reggae, ska and rocksteady

March 14, 2018 Peter Kimpton
Set the controls for 1972, but where next? It's the Mighty Two, Errol Thompson in Joe Gibbs' studio, and off on a musical journey from Kingston, Jamaica …

Set the controls for 1972, but where next? It's the Mighty Two, Errol Thompson in Joe Gibbs' studio, and off on a musical journey from Kingston, Jamaica …

Who are the Mighty Two, and why are they in a tardis? Inspired by last week's nominations, guest playlist writer Uncleben takes us on fantastically influential musically journey through space and time

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In rocksteady, ska, reggae, rock, songs, soul, playlists, music, indie, hip hop, electronica, folk, pop, postpunk, punk, dance, blues Tags Songs, playlists, reggae, ska, rocksteady, time travel, Jamaica, Joe Gibbs, Errol Thompson, The Mighty Two, The Professionals, Sly and Robbie, Dennis Brown, Elvis Costello, Yona, Orkesteri Liikkuvat Pilvet, Pere Ubu, Kode9, The Spaceape, Angelic Upstarts, Stevie Wonder, Les Negresses Vertes, Scritti Politti, John Martyn, Me'Shell NdegéOcello, Steely Dan, Alpha Blondy, Van Der Graaf Generator, Finley Quaye, Hollie Cook, The Ska Flames, The Internet, B.T. Express, Massive Attack, Miles Davis, Somo Somo & Mose Se Sengo, Gilberto Gil, Ska-P, Madness, paul simon, Robert Wyatt, Randy Newman, Nina Simone, TootArd, Uncleben
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Playlists: songs about travelling in time

March 7, 2018 Peter Kimpton
Multiverse or multiple verse? Read on to travel and transcend musical dimensions …

Multiverse or multiple verse? Read on to travel and transcend musical dimensions …

Multiverse or multiple-verse? This week our playlists, from last week's topic, are presented a by time-travel scientist, who with skilful manipulation of reality from guest writer EnglishOutlaw, puts on a timeless playlist gig

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In blues, comedy, country, dance, electronica, folk, indie, metal, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, punk, rock, songs, soul, soundtracks, musicals Tags Black Sabbath, Busted, MC Lars, AKB48, The Average White Band, David Childers, The Grateful Dead, Buzzcocks, Momus, Vernian Process, Secret Chiefs 3, Kevin Hearn, Thin Buckle, Eddie Money, Man, Peter Hammill, Tame Impala, Twenty One Pilots, Guster, The Steppes, Uriah Heep, The Yardbirds, Tony Bennett, Beggars Opera, Tim Minchin, musicals, Tyla J Pallas, EnglishOutlaw
Comment

Second nature: songs about travelling in time

March 1, 2018 Peter Kimpton
Who, what, where shall we go this week?

Who, what, where shall we go this week?

This week it's time to set the musical controls - to suggest songs that about time travel in the sci-fi sense, but also those that might move to another period in past or future in metaphor, memory and the imagination

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In blues, classical, comedy, country, dance, electronica, folk, hip hop, indie, metal, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, punk, reggae, rock, songs, soul, soundtracks Tags Songs, playlists, time, time travel, Douglas Adams, HG Wells, Stephen King, Film, Back to the Future, The Smiths, books, science, science fiction, The Terminator, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Albert Einstein, Stephen Hawking, Brian Greene, Michio Kaku, Salman Rushdie, William Gibson, Margaret Atwood, Dan Simmons, Alexandra Adornetto, Hakan Nesser, Tom Waits, Jools Holland, Hannah Simone, Wu-Tang Clan, Bill Nye, Hawkwind, Monty Python, Time Bandits, Doctor Who, Terry Gilliam
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Playlists: songs with unusual narrators

February 28, 2018 Peter Kimpton
Song post from space: a 1959 Romanian stamp depicts Laika the Soviet canine cosmonaut 

Song post from space: a 1959 Romanian stamp depicts Laika the Soviet canine cosmonaut 

Dogs, cats, foxes, trucks, museum relics, or lighthouses, this week's playlist writer barbryn hasn't just collected songs, but a supremely illuminating story of alternative voices and perspectives

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In blues, comedy, country, dance, electronica, folk, hip hop, indie, metal, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, rock, songs, soul Tags Songs, playlists, narrators, animals, They Might Be Giants, Nickel Creek, Guster, Jonathan Coulton, Nancy Kerr, James Fagan, Robert Wyatt, The Cure, Philip Jeays, The Dark, The Triffids, Red Simpson, Gecko, Joanna Newsom, Jackson C Frank, Scott Walker, Lucero, James Keelaghan, Grandaddy, Tom Waits, Johnny Marr, Maxine Peake, The Men That Will Not Be Blamed For Nothing, The Weakerthans, Gram Parsons, Harry Nilsson, Hurricane Harry, The Rolling Stones, Alias, Barbryn
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Playlists: personal theme and entrance songs

February 21, 2018 Peter Kimpton
Make your entrance here at the Bar. Strict door policy, obviously …

Make your entrance here at the Bar. Strict door policy, obviously …

There's a big 2nd anniversary gig going on at the bar, but who will perform after all the songs and bands put forward last week? The Landlord invites you to witness the whole variety show, and also stay for a second stage afterparty

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In blues, classical, comedy, country, dance, electronica, folk, hip hop, indie, metal, music, playlists, pop, punk, rock, songs, soul, postpunk, soundtracks Tags Songs, playlists, The Ramones, Sex Pistols, The Undertones, George Baker Selection, Jacques Brel, Mohammed Safi, Bollywood, Quentin Tarantino, film soundtrack, Dave Grusin, Henry Mancini, Etta James, Over The Rhine, Tom Petty, HM Coldstream Guards, Monty Python, Richard Wagner, Donald Trump, James Brown, The JBs, The Ronettes, Ronnie Spektor, Peggy Lee, Amy Irving, Jessica Rabbit, Echobelly, Norma Tanega, Betty Carter, Al Green, Barry White, Van McCoy, Ron Grainer, Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band, George Friederic Handel, Joel Grey, Roy Budd, Takeshi Terauchi and The Bunnys, The Stranglers, Ken Nordine, Mick Weaver, Shawn Phillips, Dudley Simpson Orchestra, TV themes, The Grateful Dead, CCS, The Rolling Stones, The Mother Hips, The Feelies, New Model Army, Klark Kent, The Dogs D'Amour, Adam and the Ants, Prince, Kendrick Lamar, Dizzee Rascal, Volbeat, David Rose & His Orchestra, Ethel Merman
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What's the next stage? Personal theme and entrance songs

February 15, 2018 Peter Kimpton
Bette Midler making a low-key appearance …

Bette Midler making a low-key appearance …

Song Bar 2nd Birthday Special: Suggest music that could emphasise or illuminate an individual's character in any setting, not merely in theatres, films or sports halls, but in a fantasy world of work, pub, home or street

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In blues, classical, comedy, country, dance, electronica, folk, hip hop, indie, metal, music, playlists, pop, punk, reggae, rock, songs, soul Tags Songs, playlists, Bette Midler, theatre, Film, musicals, childrens' TV, Bod, Derek Griffiths, Maggie Henderson, Sergei Prokofiev, David Bowie, Malcolm Arnold, George Cole, Alastair Sim, Joyce Grenfell, Ealing comedy, standup comedy, DMX, Mike Tyson, Chris Eubank, boxing, Arturo Gatti, Muhammad Ali, AC/DC, Tina Turner, Star Wars, cricket, Jack Russell, Janelle Monae, Prince, James Brown, Jack White, Max Wall
Comment

Playlists: songs featuring honorific titles

February 14, 2018 Peter Kimpton
Sir Jake Thackray (honorary knight of the Song Bar, posthumously given)

Sir Jake Thackray (honorary knight of the Song Bar, posthumously given)

King, Queen or Lord, Big Chief to Brigadier, Corporal and more, from a list of titles nominated as long as history itself, this week's playlist writer, Sir Severin, serves up superb lists that would honour any ears

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In classical, country, dance, electronica, folk, hip hop, indie, music, playlists, pop, reggae, punk, rock, songs, soul Tags Ty Segall, Slapp Happy, The Shadows, Jake Thackray, Professor Longhair, Katzenjammer, Pink Floyd, Pentangle, The Techniques, Bill Evans Trio, The Clash, Colleen Hewitt, Rich Kids, Jacques Brel, John Lee Hooker, Billie Holiday, The Wankys, Veda Hille, Paul McCartney, Gene Chandler, Gillian Welch, Edith Piaf, The Fall, The Unthanks, Kass Kass, Olivia Chaney, Offa Rex, Severin
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Doctor, doctor! Bang goes the knighthood: songs featuring honorific titles

February 8, 2018 Peter Kimpton
Arise Sir Rod? Mr Stewart gets the the nod, but here Prince William does the honours, not the Queen

Arise Sir Rod? Mr Stewart gets the the nod, but here Prince William does the honours, not the Queen

Earls to Dukes, Your Honour to Your Excellency, Knights to Dames and Mr and Mrs, privilege or deserving, let's explore the meaning, use and tone of honorific titles in song lyrics and why society bestows them

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In blues, classical, country, dance, electronica, folk, hip hop, indie, metal, music, playlists, pop, punk, reggae, rock, songs, soul Tags Songs, playlists, honorific titles, politics, House of Commons, charity, Rod Stewart, Paul McCartney, Van Morrison, Duke Ellington, Lord Kitchener, religion, society, David Cameron, Elton John, Ray Davies, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, David Bowie, John Lydon, LS Lowry, Roald Dahl, Vanessa Redgrave, John Lennon, John Cleese, Paul Weller, Bradley Wiggins, Aldous Huxley, Alan Bennett, Jim Broadbent, Rabindranath Tagore, The Queen, royalty
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Playlists: songs with provocative, strange or humorous titles

February 7, 2018 Peter Kimpton
Mac users: Amon Düül II

Mac users: Amon Düül II

Psychological perspectives to sexual proclivities, social commentary to downright silliness, our guest playlist writer attwilightlarks covers a large articulate range of the human psyche in the wordy titles from last week's topic

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In blues, classical, country, comedy, dance, electronica, folk, hip hop, indie, music, playlists, pop, punk, reggae, rock, songs, soul Tags Songs, playlists, titles, sex, philosophy, Carl Jung, Martin Heidegger, Amon Düül II, A Sunny Day In Glasgow, The Deep Freeze Mice, Garfunkel And Oates, They Might Be Giants, Los Campesinos, Joan Armatrading, The Soft Machine, The Turtles, Jackie Leven, Felt, Indians In Moscow, The Movement, Billie Holiday, The Gourds, The Ramones, The Faces, Tony Joe White, Sam The Sham And The Pharoahs, Mental As Anything, Penguin Cafe Orchestra, Ricky Warwick, Desmond Dekker, attwilightlarks
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Titular spectacular: songs with provocative, strange, or humorous titles

February 1, 2018 Peter Kimpton
A famously eye-catching Small Faces album, but there are many tasty song titles are out there …

A famously eye-catching Small Faces album, but there are many tasty song titles are out there …

Tantalising, striking, quirky, perhaps violent or sexually strange, offbeat,  bizarre combinations of words, numbers or symbols and more, awful, wonderful, suggest songs that cry out to be heard and live up to their title

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In blues, comedy, country, dance, electronica, folk, hip hop, indie, metal, music, playlists, pop, punk, reggae, rock, soul Tags Songs, titles, The Flaming Lips, Wayne Coyne, Paul McCartney, Johnny Cash, The Small Faces, Sammy Cahn, Blur, Damon Albarn, Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band, The Ruttles, Neil Innes, Panic! At The Disco, Brendon Urie, Beyonce, Charlotte Church, Franz Zappa, Final Fantasy, Loretta Lynn, Guns 'n' Roses, The Police, Bon Iver, Noise Gunk Murder Castle, Of Montreal, Tom Waits, Sparklehorse, Stereolab, The Beatles, System of a Down, Soulwax, Fiona Apple, Chumbawumba, Butthole Surfers, Omar Rodríguez-López, Elvis Costello, System Of A Down, George Clinton, This is Spinal Tap, Gary Glitter, William Burroughs, Thomas Pynchon, film, books
Comment

Playlists: songs and music featuring the violin

January 31, 2018 Peter Kimpton
The violin bridges many a genre …

The violin bridges many a genre …

Bridging huge swathes of musical genre from folk to classical, reggae to hip hop, India to China, it's time for our guest writer amylee to take a 'bow' for superb playlists inspired by last week's huge and fiddly topic

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In blues, classical, country, dance, folk, hip hop, indie, music, playlists Tags Songs, playlists, violin, Rod Stewart, The Raconteurs, Jack White, James Blood Ulmer, The Raincoats, The Paragons, Fairport Convention, It's A Beautiful Day, Hawkwind, La Bottine Souriante, Mahavishnu Orchestra, The Gloaming, Nigel Kennedy, Edward Elgar, dEUS, Echo and the Bunnymen, String Driven Machine, Tindersticks, Marianne Faithfull, Peter Hammill, The Levellers, UK Subs, The Triffids, Karen Dalton, Houndog, Dixie Chicks, Iva Bittová, Vladimir Václavek, Seatrain, Laurie Anderson, Wu-Tang Clan, Jules Massenet, AmyLee
Comment

We're on the fiddle: songs and music featuring the violin

January 25, 2018 Peter Kimpton
The Cipriani Potter Stradivarius. Other models are available (if you've got a few quid)

The Cipriani Potter Stradivarius. Other models are available (if you've got a few quid)

Classical, folk, pop, rock, traditional or contemporary, Irish to Romanian, Hungarian to American to the far east, suggest music about or featuring this beautiful stringed instrument in a prominent role

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In blues, country, dance, folk, indie, metal, music, pop, punk, playlists, reggae, rock, songs, soul, classical Tags Songs, music, violin, classical, folk, world music, rock, pop, Yehudi Menuhin, Albert Einstein, Samuel Butler, 12 Years A Slave, Solomon Northrop, slavery, Joshua Bell, Robert Schumann, gypsy music, Alison Krauss, Tommy Jarrell, Joseph Szalai, Taraf De Haïdouks, Niccolò Paganini, Alexander Markov, Vanessa Mae, Nigel Kennedy, Itzhak Perlman, Sirena Huang, Amati, Guameri, Gagliano, Vaughan Williams, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Guarneri, Stradivarius
Comment

Playlists: songs about hanging - swung in all directions

January 24, 2018 Peter Kimpton
Foucault? Swing low, sweet pendulum

Foucault? Swing low, sweet pendulum

North, south, east, west, left to right, Ayers to Zeppelin, this week's guest writer nosuchzone took charge of the musical swingometer, and inspired by nominations, created marvellous playlists that really move

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In blues, country, folk, hip hop, indie, metal, music, playlists, pop, punk, reggae, rock, songs, soul Tags Al Bowlly, Songs, playlists, Thaikkudam Bridge, Kevin Ayers, The Stranglers, Nick Drake, Jesus & Mary Chain, Ella Fitzgerald, Led Zeppelin, Nina Simone, Peter Blegvad, Solomon Burke, The McCoys, The Supremes, Chairmen of the Board, Salt, Joe Simon, Al Green, Chic, Sade, Loose Ends, Johnny Bristol, Richard Ace, Simple Simon, Gregory Isaacs, MF Doom, Tortoise, Robbie Robertson, nosuchzone, Billie Holiday, Blondie, The Smiths, Richard Thompson, Elvis Costello, Creedence Clearwater Revival, James & Bobby Purify
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New Albums …

Featured
Tyler Ballgame - For The First Time Again.jpeg
Jan 30, 2026
Tyler Ballgame: For The First Time, Again
Jan 30, 2026

New album: With that sublime, soaring, soulful voice, and echoes of Roy Orbison, the Rhode Island-raised singer-songwriter’s truly gorgeous debut LP captures all the range of of the love – warmth, longing, tenderness and heartbreak through classy and crafted retro sound of 60s and 70s rock

Jan 30, 2026
Tessa Rose Jackson - The Lighthouse.jpeg
Jan 29, 2026
Tessa Rose Jackson: The Lighthouse
Jan 29, 2026

New album: Beautiful, intricate, understated, poetic and intelligent, this warm, inviting experimental folk by the Dutch-British singer-songwriter is the first LP under her own name, having previously released three as the artist Someone

Jan 29, 2026
Lucinda Williams - World's Gone Wrong.jpeg
Jan 28, 2026
Lucinda Williams: World's Gone Wrong
Jan 28, 2026

New album: The acclaimed veteran country, rock and Americana singer-songwriter and multi-Grammy winner’s latest LP has a title that speaks for itself, but is powerful, angry, defiant and uplifting, and, recorded in Nashville, features guest vocals from Norah Jones, Mavis Staples and Brittney Spencer

Jan 28, 2026
Clotheline From Hell.jpeg
Jan 27, 2026
Clothesline From Hell: Slather On The Honey
Jan 27, 2026

New album: His moniker mischievously named after a wrestling move, a highly impressive, independently-created experimental, psychedelic rock debut the the Toronto-based multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter Adam LaFramboise

Jan 27, 2026
Dead Dads Club.jpeg
Jan 27, 2026
Dead Dads Club: Dead Dads Club
Jan 27, 2026

New album: Dynamic, passionate, heart-stirring indie rock in this project fronted by Chilli Jesson (formerly bassist of Palma Violets) with songs spurred by the trauma of losing his father 20 years ago, retelling a defiant and difficult aftermath, with sound boosted by producer Carlos O’Connell of Fontaines D.C.

Jan 27, 2026
The Paper Kites - IF YOU GO THERE, I HOPE YOU FIND IT.png
Jan 25, 2026
The Paper Kites: If You Go There, I Hope You Find It
Jan 25, 2026

New album: Warm, tender, gently-paced, calmly reflective, beautifully soothing, poetic, melancholic alternative folk and Americana by the band from Melbourne in their seventh LP in 15 years

Jan 25, 2026
PVA - No More Like This.jpeg
Jan 24, 2026
PVA: No More Like This
Jan 24, 2026

New album: Inventive, alluring, sensual, mysterious, minimalistic electronica, trip-hop and experimental pop by the London trio of Ella Harris, Joshua Baxter and Louis Satchell, in this second album following 2022’s Blush, boosted by the creativity of producer and instrumentalist Kwake Bass

Jan 24, 2026
Imarhan - Essam.jpeg
Jan 20, 2026
Imarhan: Essam
Jan 20, 2026

New album: A mesmeric fourth LP in a decade by the band from Tamanrasset, Algeria, whose name means ‘the ones I care about’, their Tuareg music mixing guitar riffs, pop melodies and African rhythms, but this time also evolves slightly away from the desert blues rocky, bluesy influence of contemporaries Tinariwen with electronic elements

Jan 20, 2026
Courtney Marie Andrews - Valentine.jpeg
Jan 20, 2026
Courtney Marie Andrews: Valentine
Jan 20, 2026

New album: Emotional, beautiful, stirring, Americana, folk and indie-pop by singer-songwriter from Phoenix, Arizona, in this latest studio LP in of soaring voice, strong melodies, love, vulnerability and heartbreak, longing and bravery

Jan 20, 2026
Julianna Barwick & Mary Lattimore - Tragic Magic.jpeg
Jan 18, 2026
Julianna Barwick & Mary Lattimore: Tragic Magic
Jan 18, 2026

New album: Delicate, beautiful, ethereal, meditative new work by the two American experimental composers in their first collaborative LP, with gentle understated vocals, classic synth sounds, and rare harps chosen from from the Paris Musée de la Musique Collection

Jan 18, 2026
Sleaford Mods- The Demise of Planet X.jpeg
Jan 16, 2026
Sleaford Mods: The Demise of Planet X
Jan 16, 2026

New album: The caustic wit of Nottingham’s Jason Williamson and Andrew Fearn return with a 13th LP of brilliantly abrasive, dark humoured hip-hop and catchy beats, addressing the rubbish state of the world, as well as local, personal and social irritations through slick nostalgic cultural reference, some expanded sounds, and an eclectic set of guests

Jan 16, 2026
Sault - Chapter 1.jpeg
Jan 14, 2026
SAULT: Chapter 1
Jan 14, 2026

New album: As ever, released suddenly without fanfare or any publicity, the prolific experimental soul, jazz, gospel, funk, psychedelia and disco collective of Cleo Sol, Info (aka Dean Josiah Cover) and co return with a stylish, mysterious LP

Jan 14, 2026
The Cribs - Selling A Vibe.jpeg
Jan 14, 2026
The Cribs: Selling A Vibe
Jan 14, 2026

New album: A first LP in five years by the likeable and solid guitar indie-rock Jarman brothers trio from Wakefield, now with their ninth - a catchy, but at times with rueful, bittersweet perspectives on their times in the music business

Jan 14, 2026
Dry Cleaning - Secret Love.jpeg
Jan 9, 2026
Dry Cleaning: Secret Love
Jan 9, 2026

New album: This third LP by the London experimental post-punk quartet with the distinctive, spoken, droll delivery of Florence Shaw, is packed with striking, vivid, often non seqitur lyrics capturing life’s surreal mundanities and neuroses with a sound coloured and polished by Cate Le Bon as producer

Jan 9, 2026

new songs …

Featured
Streets of Minneapolis - Bruce Springsteen.jpeg
Jan 31, 2026
Song of the Day: Bruce Springsteen - Streets of Minneapolis
Jan 31, 2026

Song of the Day: A powerful brand new protest song by the Boss, tackling America’s controversial influx of ICE agents into Minneapolis and their recent murders of innocent bystanders Alex Pretti and Renée Good, released on Columbia

Jan 31, 2026
Robber Robber band.jpeg
Jan 30, 2026
Song of the Day: Robber Robber - The Sound It Made
Jan 30, 2026

Song of the Day: Striking, dynamic, noisy stop-and-start, stylish experimental post-rock and post-rock by the band from Burlington, Vermont, fronted by Nina Cates, heralding their new album, Two Wheels Move the Soul, out on 3 April via on Fire Talk

Jan 30, 2026
Holly Humberstone - To Love Somebody.jpeg
Jan 29, 2026
Song of the Day: Holly Humberstone - To Love Somebody
Jan 29, 2026

Song of the Day: Shimmeringly catchy and singalong, effervescent Abba-esque and Fleetwood Mac-ish piano and synth pop with an eye-catching, vampiric-themed video by the British singer-songwriter from Grantham, heralding her second album Cruel World out on 10 April via Polydor/Universal.

Jan 29, 2026
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Jan 28, 2026
Song of the Day: Nathan Fake - Slow Yamaha
Jan 28, 2026

Song of the Day: Hypnotic electronica with woozy layers of smooth resonance and a lattice of shifting analogue patterns by the British artist from Norfolk, taken from his forthcoming album, Evaporator, out on InFiné Music

Jan 28, 2026
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Jan 27, 2026
Song of the Day: Charlotte Day Wilson - Lean (featuring Saya Gray)
Jan 27, 2026

Song of the Day: Stylish, striking, sensual experimental electro-pop and R&B in this fabulous collaboration between the two Canadian singer/ multi-instrumentalist from Toronto, out on Stone Woman Music/ XL Recordings

Jan 27, 2026
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Jan 26, 2026
Song of the Day: Lime Garden - 23
Jan 26, 2026

Song of the Day: Wonderfully catchy, witty, quirky indie pop about age and adjustment by the Brighton-formed quartet fronted by Chloe Howard, heralding their upcoming album Maybe Not Tonight, out on So Young Records on 10 April

Jan 26, 2026
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Jan 25, 2026
Song of the Day: Madra Salach - The Man Who Seeks Pleasure
Jan 25, 2026

Song of the Day: A powerful, slow-simmering and gradually intensifying, drone-based original folk number about the the flipsides of love and hedonism by the young Irish traditional and alternative folk band, with comparisons to Lankum, from the recently released EP It's a Hell of an Age, out on Canvas Music

Jan 25, 2026
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Jan 24, 2026
Song of the Day: Adult DVD - Real Tree Lee
Jan 24, 2026

Song of the Day: Catchy, witty, energised acid-dance-punk with echoes of Underworld and Snapped Ankles by the dynamic, innovative band from Leeds in a new number about a dodgy character of toxic masculinity and online ignorance, and their first release on signing to Fat Possum

Jan 24, 2026
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Jan 23, 2026
Song of the Day: Arctic Monkeys - Opening Night (for War Child HELP 2 charity album)
Jan 23, 2026

Song of the Day: A simmering, potent, contemplative new track by acclaimed Sheffield band, their first song since 2022’s album The Car, with proceeds benefiting the charity War Child, heralding the upcoming HELP (2) compilation out on 6 March with various contributors

Jan 23, 2026
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Jan 22, 2026
Song of the Day: White Denim - (God Created) Lock and Key
Jan 22, 2026

Song of the Day: The Austin, Texas-formed LA-based rockers return with an infectiously catchy groove fusing rock, funk, dub, soul, and down-dirty blues with some playful self-mythologising and darker themes, heralding 13th album, 13, out on 24 April via Bella Union

Jan 22, 2026
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Jan 21, 2026
Song of the Day: Holy Fuck - Evie
Jan 21, 2026

Song of the Day: The Canadian experimental indie rock and electronica quartet from Toronto return with a pulsating new track of thrumming bass and shimmering keyboards, heralding their forthcoming new album Event Beat, out on 27 March via Satellite Services

Jan 21, 2026
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Jan 20, 2026
Song of the Day: KAVARI - IRON VEINS
Jan 20, 2026

Song of the Day: Exciting, cutting-edge electronica and hardcore dance music by innovative the Birkenhead-born, Glasgow-based artist Cameron Winters (she), with a stylish, striking video, heralding the forthcoming EP, PLAGUE MUSIC, out digitally and on 12-inch vinyl on 6 February via XL Recordings

Jan 20, 2026

Word of the week

Featured
Zumbador dorado - mango bumblebee Puerto Rico.jpeg
Jan 22, 2026
Word of the week: zumbador
Jan 22, 2026

Word of the week: A wonderfully evocative noun from the Spanish for word buzz, and meaning both a South American hummingbird, a door buzzer, and symbolic of resurrection of the soul in ancient Mexican culture, while also serving as the logo for a tequila brand

Jan 22, 2026
Hamlet ad - Gregor Fisher.jpg
Jan 8, 2026
Word of the week: aspectabund
Jan 8, 2026

Word of the week: This rare adjective describes a highly expressive face or countenance, where emotions and reactions are readily shown through the eyes or mouth

Jan 8, 2026
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Dec 24, 2025
Word of the week: bellonion (or belloneon)
Dec 24, 2025

Word of the week: It sounds like a bulbous, multi-layered peeling vegetable, but this obscure mechanical musical instrument invented in 1812 in Dresden consisted of 24 trumpets and two kettle drums and, designed to mimic the sound of a marching band, might also make your eyes water

Dec 24, 2025
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Dec 4, 2025
Word of the week: crapulence
Dec 4, 2025

Word of the week: A term that may apply regularly during Xmas party season, from the from the Latin crapula, in turn from the Greek kraipálē meaning "drunkenness" or "headache" pertains to sickness symptoms caused by excess in eating or drinking, or general intemperance and overindulgence

Dec 4, 2025
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Nov 20, 2025
Word of the week: discalceate
Nov 20, 2025

Word of the week: A rarely used, but often practised verb, especially when arriving home, it means to take off your shoes, but is also a slightly more common adjective meaning barefoot or unshod, particularly for certain religious orders that wear sandals instead of shoes. But in what context does this come up in song?

Nov 20, 2025

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